Cowboys Wrangled

New England defense corrals Dallas, 13-6

With their playoff hopes and Drew Bledsoe fading in three straight losses, the defense dominated and the offense did just enough for a 13-6 victory Sunday night, the Patriots' first in eight tries against the Cowboys.

''We didn't care who it was,'' New England defensive tackle Chad Eaton said. ''It could have been Attleboro High School. We just needed a win bad,''

That nearby school might have scored as many points as the Cowboys, who failed to score a touchdown for the first time this season. And their 203 yards and 12 first downs both were season lows.

''I liked the way we did it because it was close the whole time and any one play could have made the difference,'' Patriots coach Pete Carroll said. ''The defense just hung on and hung on and did a great job.''

It allowed only field goals by Richie Cunningham's of 20 yards in the first quarter and 34 in the fourth.

Maybe now Dallas coach Chan Gailey should listen to cornerback Deion Sanders' pleadings to play him at wide receiver.

''I want to play offense,'' Sanders said. ''I've dropped subtle hints to the coach, but now I'm ready to go out there and do whatever it takes. It's time to throw everything out there.''

The Patriots (7-5) better do that if they want to have a decent chance next Sunday at Indianapolis (10-2), which has won its last eight games.

New England, playing in the NFL's toughest division, moved one game behind second-place Miami and Buffalo (8-4) in the AFC East. New England was desperate for a victory since it has a poorer division record, the first tiebreaker in determining playoff berths, than both teams.

''It looks like we need to win the rest of them'' to reach the playoffs, Bledsoe said. ''Indy, right now, is playing extremely well.''

The Cowboys (6-6) played for the first time in 10 days after a 20-0 Thanksgiving Day victory over Miami. They remained tied for second in the NFC East, one game behind Washington, which also lost.

''We're not a good football team right now, but as bad as we played tonight and as bad as we feel, we're still only one game behind,'' Gailey said. ''We still have a chance.''

Adam Vinatieri's field goals of 41 and 23 yards had given New England a 6-3 lead.

Bledsoe, who threw nine interceptions in his previous three games, threw two more Sunday, both in the first half, but led a critical 65-yard drive that ended with Terry Allen's 3-yard touchdown and a 13-3 lead with 6:39 left in the game.

''It was probably our best drive all year and we got it done in some difficult circumstances against an extremely good defense,'' said Bledsoe, who completed 14 of 25 passes for 176 yards.

Emmitt Smith was the most effective offensive player for the Cowboys, gaining 75 yards on 19 carries and joining Barry Sanders as the only players with nine straight 1,000-yard seasons. Smith has 1,053.

But the Cowboys, 5-0 at home, are 1-6 on the road.

''It's going to end at some point,'' Smith said. ''It's not a question of the offense playing better. It's a question of the whole ballclub playing better.''

The Patriots defense avoided the mistakes that befell it in a 17-7 loss at Buffalo the previous Sunday; cornerback Steve Israel fell down on a touchdown pass to Eric Moulds, and linebacker Andy Katzenmoyer missed an easy tackle on Sam Gash on another.

But on Sunday night, the Patriots' best linebacker, Ted Johnson, started for Katzenmoyer in the middle of the defense after missing the first 11 games with a ruptured left biceps tendon. Johnson's return came one day short of the one-year anniversary of another injury a ruptured right biceps tendon that ended his 1998 season and sparked his teammates.

''The introduction was pretty overwhelming for me,'' Johnson said. ''Being there at the end of the game and seeing the score the way it was, was very satisfying to me because it's been a long time since we've had a win.''

New England's offense beat a Dallas defense that allowed one touchdown or less for the eighth time in 12 games this season.

The Patriots' touchdown drive began with 12 minutes left in the game with a 10-yard pass from Bledsoe to Terry Glenn that gave them a first down at their own 46. Completions of 19 yards to Kevin Faulk and 11 yards to Troy Brown produced another first down at the 17.

Then the Cowboys, who lead the NFL in penalty yards, were called for offsides on third-and-1 from the 8. That gave the Patriots a first down at the four. Allen was stopped for 1 yard before scoring from 3 yards out.

Notes: Bledsoe has thrown 11 interceptions in his last four games after throwing just four in his first eight games. ... On its first seven possessions, Dallas had 41 yards and three first downs. On its eighth, it had 66 yards and four first downs, but Cunningham's 43-yard field goal attempt was short and to the right. ... The Cowboys placed wide receiver Michael Irvin, sidelined most of the season with a neck injury, on injured reserve. ... Since 1994, the Patriots have the best record in December of any AFC team, 13-4.